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A toast to the ‘Raining Champions’!

May 13, 2019

RYE BROOK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
To celebrate Manchester City’s epic Premier League title win, global
water technology company Xylem, (NYSE:XYL), has teamed up with City and
Heineken Manchester to produce ‘Raining Champions’ – a limited edition
beer made with purified rainwater collected from the rooftop of City’s
Etihad Stadium. ‘Raining Champions’ is the latest in a campaign by Xylem
and City to show football fans globally how every country on earth faces
serious and escalating water challenges, such as lack of access to clean
water and flooding.

Brewed for the Premier League’s reigning champions, the beer will be
used to toast Manchester City as part of the end of season celebrations,
with a chance for some lucky fans to taste the brew over the coming
months.

Joseph Vesey, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at
Xylem, explained: “With Manchester averaging about 150 rainy days per
year, challenges like water scarcity may seem a world away but the
reality is that these issues are closer than we think. A staggering 3.6
billion people – almost half the global population – currently live in
areas that are water-scarce at least one month per year and, by 2050,
projections estimate that more than 5 billion people could suffer water
shortages. What better way to educate football fans about these urgent
challenges and celebrate a phenomenal season for Manchester City than by
toasting the club with a rainwater brew. Through this initiative, and
our wider ‘Closer Than You Think’ campaign, we aim to inspire the next
generation of fans to think differently about water challenges and
solutions – like using recycled water to help tackle water shortages -
and encourage people of all ages to help create a more water-secure
world.”

Recycled water is one long-term, sustainable solution to water scarcity.
The ‘Raining Champions’ beer was brewed using rainwater from the Etihad
purified with advanced, proven treatment technologies from Xylem that
produce safe clean drinking water to the highest standards. Fans are
invited to check out some water solving tips here.

Damian Willoughby, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at City
Football Group, parent of Manchester City, said: “Brewing a beer from
rainwater collected from the heart of our football club is a fantastic
and creative way to celebrate Manchester City winning another Premier
League title. Together with Xylem, we hope this will inspire fans to do
their bit and make a difference.”

Stephen Moore, brewery manager at HEINEKEN Manchester said: “We were
really pleased to be able to help our Manchester neighbours out by
brewing a beer in our on-site micro-brewery. This is the first time
we’ve brewed a beer using purified rainwater – and now Manchester City
fans can toast their team with a beer fit for the reigning champions!”

As part of Xylem’s multi-year partnership with Manchester City, Xylem
recently partnered with the Club to deliver clean water towers, WASH
education, and sports and leadership training to communities in
Bangalore, India, as part of an initiative that will benefit over 5,000
children this year. The ‘Cityzens Giving’ project ‘Water Goals,’
sponsored by Xylem, earned the top ranking among six projects in
Manchester City’s annual Cityzens Giving global community initiative,
receiving more than 450,000 votes from football fans around the world.
The Water Goals project in Bangalore is part of Xylem’s ongoing social
impact initiative, conducted by the company’s corporate citizenship
program Watermark, alongside Xylem’s partner Planet Water Foundation,
which is responsible for water tower construction.

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to
developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water
challenges. The Company’s products and services move, treat, analyze,
monitor and return water to the environment in public utility,
industrial, residential and commercial building services settings. Xylem
also provides a leading portfolio of smart metering, network
technologies and advanced infrastructure analytics solutions for water,
electric and gas utilities. The Company’s approximately 17,000 employees
bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on identifying
comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye Brook, New
York, with 2018 revenue of $5.2 billion, Xylem does business in more
than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands.

The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that
transports water in plants, highlighting the engineering efficiency of
our water-centric business by linking it with the best water
transportation of all – that which occurs in nature. For more
information, please visit us at www.xylem.com.

About Manchester City Football Club

Manchester City FC is an English Premier League club initially founded
in 1880 as St Mark’s West Gorton. It officially became Manchester City
FC in 1894 and has since then gone onto win the European Cup Winners’
Cup, five League Championship titles, including three Premier League
titles (2012, 2014, 2018), and five FA Cups. Manchester City FC is one
of seven clubs comprising the City Football Group and counts New York
City FC and Melbourne City FC among its sister clubs.

Under manager Pep Guardiola, one of the most highly decorated managers
in world football, the Club plays its domestic and UEFA Champions League
home fixtures at the Etihad Stadium, a spectacular 55,000 seat arena
that City have called home since 2003. Today, the Stadium sits on the
wider Etihad Campus, which also encompasses the City Football Academy, a
state-of-the-art performance training and youth development facility
located in the heart of East Manchester. Featuring a 7,000 capacity
Academy Stadium, the City Football Academy is also where Manchester City
Women’s Football Club and the Elite Development Squad train on a daily
basis and play their competitive home games.